10 Song Challenge
by Pinkqueen
Summary: My take on the ten-song challenge, Castle version. My first piece of fanfiction.


**A/N: Hey. HUGE Castle fan, but this is my first fic. Please be nice. R&R.**

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><p><strong>Kids in America - No Secrets<strong>

She was excited to go out that night. Not with her best friend Lanie, but no, with a man.

No. Not just any man. Richard Castle.

_The_ Richard Castle.

The very Richard Castle who was a constant source of annoyance for her, day after endless day catching bad guys. The Richard Castle that she had come to love over the past three years, although she would never say that to his face.

She heard a knock on the door, so she gave her hair a quick mussing up, put on her other earring, and walked out of her bedroom and into the living room.

**Welcome to Burlesque – Cher**

They walked through the arched doorway, their hands recently stamped by the man at the entrance. He knew it was just an undercover mission, but that didn't mean he couldn't stare at the undercover outfit the lovely Detective Beckett had chosen for that evening.

They travelled through the fog and the throngs of people up to the stage. Little did he know, but she was nervous too. She would never let him on to the fact that she specifically asked to go after this suspect herself.

The woman who was their reason for being in the shady Burlesque lounge was Danielle "Daisy" Samuels. Also known as the bitch who made her freshman and junior years a living hell.

She knew it was unethical, she shouldn't still be holding a grudge after all these years. After all, look at where the chips fell. She was a successful, well-respected detective with a doctor boyfriend, and her arch nemesis was dancing like a slut in a seedy part of town half-naked. But that didn't stop her from being a little rougher than necessary with the cuffs when she called her by her old nickname. She'd have Ryan and Esposito interrogate this one, she would be too biased.

**Don't Stop Belivin' – Journey**

She stepped onto the subway that morning ready to catch the man who killed a 32-year old woman just four days ago. Detective Beckett sipped at her coffee, remembering the crime scene, how they couldn't find a single print, not even the victim's.

That was then. Today, they had a strong lead pointing to the victim's father-in-law. She marveled at how helpful Castle had been, without even realizing it. His playful quip about how he had always hated his parents-in-law when he and Gina were married made her think about how the victim had borrowed over $50,000 from her father-in-law five years ago, and never paid it back. She checked his alibi, and it fell through.

The subway stopped, waking her from her thoughts. She sauntered off with a triumphant grin on her face.

**By the Way – Theory of a Deadman**

He had been waiting for an answer for a couple days now, and he was getting impatient. She said she was too busy, picking a new apartment out, but he knew she was too nervous to share a house with him in the Hamptons for an entire summer. Besides, she had a boyfriend.

He walked in with their coffee, as usual, only to see him kissing her neck. That was it. That was the final twist on the knife in his heart. It had been there ever since he had seen them kiss after they cracked a hard case, and this was the final straw. He couldn't keep tagging along like this anymore, claiming it was research. He had put his _life_ on the line for this woman, only to see her love someone else. He had to cut it off today.

As he approached her desk, he tried to hide the pain on his face. Pain from what he saw, and what he knew he had to do.

**Piano Man – Billy Joel**

Rick looked her up and down in the red, skin-tight dress she picked out for Lanie's birthday at The Old Haunt that night. Was it the beer talking, or did she look incredibly sexy?

She sauntered over to him. "Hey, Castle? Do you need a ride home?"

He stood up, shaking his head no. He pinned her up against the bar, unable to contain himself any longer. Partly out of drunken-ness, but mostly out of undying passion, he kissed her.

Kate pulled away for a moment, and stared into his deep blue eyes. They were filled with lust, wanting. She kissed him back, more passionately this time. Her force took him by surprise, but he didn't pull away. He deepened the kiss, and she let out a moan from the back of her throat.

He pulled away, too soon, she thought, and grinned playfully. "Maybe I'll take that ride home now." He whispered. Rick knew she wouldn't bring it up again, but if she did he'd just blame it on the alcohol. But, God was she a hell of a kisser.

**Breathe – Ryan Star**

After a particularly long case that day, all Rick wanted to do was go home and write. He went back to the break room to return his coffee mug. He loved that espresso machine, as did everyone else. Beckett hated the idea at first, refused to even look at the thing. But he knew she loved it, ever since he caught her getting coffee from it when she thought no one was looking.

He went back to her desk to get his jacket when he heard sobs. He stood still for a moment, unsure if he really heard it, but there it was again. He set his jacket back down and followed the sound to the hallway and a red-eyed Detective Beckett. He knew she would be too proud to cry in public unless something was terribly wrong.

"Beckett?" he called, his voice laced with concern.

She looked up from the paper she held in her hand, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Castle?" she replied, her voice breaking. She pulled her shirt down a little, trying to smooth out the wrinkles, put the paper back in her pocket and cleared her throat. "I thought you had gone home by now."

"What was on that paper?" he demanded. No one makes Kate cry on his watch and gets away scot-free. "What happened? Who did this to you?" His concern for her almost made her smile. She almost gave him that wretched paper in her pocket. Figuring she had nothing to lose, not anymore, she fished it out and handed it to him.

Reading it over, he realized it was a break-up letter from Josh. "That bastard…" he muttered, "didn't even have the decency to do it face-to-face…"

"Castle…" she sighed. He got the message. He wasn't helping. He pulled her in for a comforting embrace and let her cry on his shoulder. They stayed that way for what felt like hours, sometimes talking, sometimes letting their silence fill the room.

At that moment, Kate realized that Castle would go to the ends of the Earth for her, and she had been pushing him away, all this time. Well, not anymore. Now they were both available, and she would take every opportunity given to her to make this happen.

**Summertime – My Chemical Romance**

The sun peeking delicately through the blinds is what woke Kate up this morning. Her eyes fluttered open and glanced at her alarm clock. It was nearly eleven. She swore under her breath and scrambled out of bed, wondering why her alarm didn't go off and thinking how Captain Montgomery was going to kick her ass for being so late.

Just as her feet hit the floor, a thought struck her. This wasn't her room. She didn't have to go to work. She was in the Hamptons. She released a breath she didn't realize she was holding in and almost laughed at herself for being so ridiculous. She stretched and walked over to Richard Castle's guest bathroom to shower before heading out to the kitchen.

Rick was still asleep when his phone rang. The custom ringtone told him it was Gina, probably calling to see if he was still sleeping. He groaned as he reached over to his nightstand and pressed answer.

"Good morning, Gina." He tried to reply cheerily, like he'd been awake for hours.

"Richard!" It didn't work. "Quit slacking and finish your manuscript! What am I, your mother?" She was screaming into the phone so loud he had to pull it away from his ear. He certainly wouldn't be getting any more sleep this morning.

**Greatest Time of Year – Aly & A.J.**

The doorbell rang in the loft, but if it weren't for Alexis manning the door waiting for Ashley, no one would've heard. The stunning-as-ever Kate Beckett waltzed in, sporting a dark emerald dress that made her eyes shine like the lights hanging above the door. Alexis pictured her dad's face when he saw her. It would be priceless. Ashley could wait.

"Wow. You look incredible," the teen said, taking her shawl. "Dad's gonna flip." The detective blushed at the sight of Mr. Super-cool mystery novelist "flipping" as his daughter put it. She was glad she came to his annual Christmas party. To be more precise, she was glad to be anywhere as long as he was there.

She was right. His jaw nearly fell through the floor when she arrived, laughing with Alexis about some joke he didn't hear. He managed to recompose his expression into a smug grin by the time she was within eyeshot. Glancing up towards the ceiling, he met her halfway and grabbed a glass off of a passing waiter's platter. Hoping she didn't notice the mistletoe he lured her under, he handed her the drink.

**Enjoy the Silence – Lacuna Coil**

They fought all the time. About small things mostly; who drove, whose theory was right, stuff like that. But this was their worst fight yet, and it was real. Very real. Neither one of them could remember what started it in the first place, but they knew they were pissed at each other. They stayed that way for weeks on end, no one brave enough to try and solve it.

It got so bad they were having regular screaming matches in the middle of the precinct. Everyone's patience began to wear thin.

"That's enough! I've had it with you two!" Captain Montgomery was furious. You could almost picture steam billowing out of his ears. Castle had spilled coffee on the floor; Beckett had almost slipped, she had to grab onto the wall to avoid falling flat on her back. She had accused him of being clumsy, and he had cycled through a list of all the times she messed up. "Now I'm signing you up for weekly sessions with a therapist until you get this worked out. Do you understand me?" "Yes, sir," Beckett replied reluctantly.

**Dear Prudence – The Beatles**

"Alexis?" Beckett opened her door to find the 17-year-old standing there, obviously in a hurry. "What's wrong?"

"Dad and I were walking in Central Park and he twisted his ankle," she almost looked embarrassed for him. "He noticed we were by your place and he was wondering if he could have some ice." Kate laughed out loud and invited her in. She grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, wrapped it in a towel and handed it to her.

"Here you go. Does he need anything else?" she asked. "Well," Alexis added with a sly grin, "I'm sure he would absolutely HATE having a certain detective see him in his hour of need." Kate didn't need another hint. She grabbed her jacket from the closet.

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><p><strong>I listen to a HUGE variety of music. Please review, and remember, go easy on me. :)<strong>


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